Activities

I participated in the Campus Asia Plus short-term exchange study program at the National University of Laos (NUOL) from August to September 2022 along with three students. The program consisted of a one-week intensive course at the NUOL and a three-week internship at the Ministry of Education and Sports, Lao PDR. We also visited the Embassy of Japan in the Lao PDR and the JICA Laos Office etc. The program started in 2022, based on the cooperation between the GSICS of Kobe University and the NUOL.

Through the intensive course, Advanced Development Economics, participants learned about the current development situation in Lao PDR from various perspectives; economic reform policy, education development, labor economics, and Foreign Direct Investment. The internship at the Ministry of Education and Sports provided opportunities for us to understand issues of education and education policies in Lao PDR through practical experiences and to conduct field research based on our research interests. The field research included interviews with teachers, a questionnaire survey with guardians, and classroom observation at pre-primary and primary schools in Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR.

The program helped us deepen our understanding of economic development and education development in Lao PDR. One of the most remarkable experiences was we visited schools and learned what are the issues in the field. We would like to keep improving our research skills to contribute to education development based on this experience. We are grateful to all who supported us through the program.